This Bad Feeling
by Randilyn04
Summary: Austin leaves for his summer tour but can't shake the feeling that he forgot something important in Miami. My vision of the S2 finale. My first story, so please be kind (especially if it is terrible, which may well be the case as I've never really written fiction before). Rated T for safety. I think it will be a two-shot, assuming people actually read the first part. :) Auslly
1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note: So, I'm way too old to be obsessed with a Disney Channel show, but I make an exception for Austin & Ally because, let's face it people, those two crazy kids belong together! Anyway, the A&A fandom led me to this B-E-A-U-tiful web site, and I have been reading everyone's fics for weeks now. After Ross spoiled that Ally wouldn't be going on tour with Austin at the end of S2, this idea jumped into my mind, so I decided to get it out. I've never really written fiction before, but I felt inspired, and this is the result. I really hope you all like it, as I had a lot of fun writing it. **

**Disclaimer: I do not own Austin & Ally.**

When he didn't find her at Sonic Boom, Austin searched furiously through the rest of the mall, absently brushing past the people in the crowd. He was only looking for one face. And all he could think of was the look on that face the night before at his tour kick-off party…

* * *

_She had tears threatening her eyes as she pulled him into a hug and told him that she couldn't go with him on tour. Rationally speaking, he understood why: she had her dad, and Sonic Boom, and her own album to think of. She had spent so much time helping make his dream a reality that she needed the summer to focus on her own. But, just because he could understand it rationally didn't mean it didn't hurt like hell. He couldn't imagine going on his first big tour without his songwriter, partner, and best friend (sorry Dez) by his side._

_She said that she owed it to herself, and also to him, since she would have never been able to get to this point without him. She said she would still write songs for him. She said she was so happy for him and made him promise that they would talk on the phone or Skype whenever he had the chance while he was gone. She said the three months would go by in a flash and she couldn't wait to hear all of the crazy tour stories when he returned. She said she would miss him. Then she said 'goodbye'. He watched her walk away, taking a piece of him with her…_

* * *

Out of his thoughts and back to reality, it was like some imperceptible force was guiding him—each footfall a literal step in the right direction. As he turned a corner around a street musician playing a somewhat peculiar, albeit beautiful, rendition of Nirvana's "Smells Like Teen Spirit," he saw her. He knew it was her before he ever saw her face. She was just sitting on a bench, writing away in her book—a book that helped her write the songs that put them both on the map; a book of secrets, thoughts, dreams, and everything else that she couldn't say aloud. He wondered in that moment if the book contained any secrets about him…

Despite her constant warnings not to, he read that book once. In retrospect, it was a dick move on his part. He knew how furious and hurt she would be if she found out. But back then, it wasn't in Austin's nature to think before acting. His life was all about the moment and living squarely in it. The act of reading the book may have led to a major misunderstanding between them, as well as him looking like a taller, blonder version of an Oompa Loompa for a not insignificant period of time after, but it also led to a defining point in their relationship: friends and partners, always.

Admittedly, a lot had changed between them since that exchange over a year ago. They wrote more songs that led to more amazing videos by Dez that led to even more acclaim for Austin. After that came a contract with Starr Records and Ally's decision to stay with Team Austin in Miami, despite her full scholarship to MUNY. Through the photo shoots and interviews and performances that followed, they grew closer, until one or both of them would sacrifice anything for the other's happiness. Until they realized that the feelings between them were not just those of friendship, but also of mutual respect and love. Looking back now, he couldn't believe he was so blind to the truth for so long. If he'd only realized sooner, then maybe they wouldn't be here now…but no. He couldn't waste any more time on "what ifs".

He approached the bench where she sat writing and took in the sight as if to burn it into his memory. He noticed the rich chestnut waves that fell down her back, slightly bouncing with each turn of her head. He noticed her narrow shoulders, vaguely hunched over her book, making a lost attempt at concealing her scribbling. He noticed her delicate hand, reaching over to scratch an itch on an ankle that was bobbing up and down in time with the street performer's song. He noticed the blue cotton of her sundress clinging stubbornly to her shapely leg, as if it too just wanted to be close to her.

As he came around to face her, he hesitated momentarily, trying to organize his thoughts into something resembling coherence. It was then that she looked up suddenly from where she was writing and caught him staring. "Austin?! What are you doing here? I thought you left for the tour hours ago," she stated, giving him the 'confused Ally' look he knew so well.

With that look (and the smile that followed), Austin completely lost his train of thought. _Coherence is overrated anyway_, he thought silently, and opened his mouth to speak, not really knowing what would come out. He was surprised when what came out were English words, formed into actual sentences. "I did. I was on the bus, we were driving down the interstate, and all of a sudden I got this really bad feeling."

"Oh no. You didn't eat any more of Dez's cooking, did you? You know as well as I do that's always a risky proposition. Especially if he uses his 'special sauce', which is, I believe, just horseradish and chocolate pudding," she said, screwing her face up to show her disgust with Dez's self-proclaimed culinary prowess.

He laughed momentarily at her playfulness, and was overcome once again at how she seemed to smile with her whole body. "No, no. It wasn't that kind of bad feeling. Trust me, I learned to stop being Dez's official tastetester after the whole Zalien brains fiasco."

"Zalien brains? What are you talking about?" she questioned.

"Oh, um…it's not important," he said, smiling awkwardly and trying to sweep her question under the rug. He forgot that she wasn't there for that. That was when he needed advice from Dez about her…before it all fell apart. "So, getting back to what I was saying, I had this bad feeling…a feeling like I forgot something. So, I got up and I took inventory of everything I packed, trying to put my finger on what was missing. Guitars? Check. iPod? Check. Variety of sneaker choices? Check. Plenty of extra underwear? Check. I had gone through everything I could think of, and nothing seemed to be missing, but the feeling just wouldn't go away."

He paused, noting that as he ticked through his mental list, she slowly inched toward the front of the bench. She was hanging on his every word. "I told everyone that I needed a few minutes, so the bus driver pulled over at the next rest stop. I grabbed my acoustic and headed off the bus. I walked around for a while, mindlessly strumming, playing different chords with no rhyme or reason, hoping that either the feeling would go away or that playing would somehow expose whatever was causing it. And, guess what? It worked!" he exclaimed, throwing his head back and his hands to the sky in victory. After a beat, he realized he probably looked like a total idiot, so he lowered his arms, regained his composure, and looked back down at her.

As she looked up at him, he could already see the confusion coloring her expression before he heard it in her voice. "O-kay? Wait…what worked?! Did the feeling go away, or did you figure out what was causing it? Bottom line it for me…what are you doing here when you're supposed to be halfway to Texas right now?"

He took a deep breath and finally sat beside her on the bench. She turned her petite frame toward him and smiled, silently urging him to get to the good part. He was debating stretching the story out a little longer, seeing as she seemed so engrossed by it, but then he thought better. He was stalling and he knew it. If he didn't say it now, he would have turned around the bus for nothing, and he couldn't leave for three months with this hanging over his head. So, he screwed up his courage and just said it. "I figured out that I'm ready."

Her face fell slightly. He didn't know what kind of answer she was expecting, but he could tell that it wasn't the one she got. Her eyebrows quirked up slightly as she quietly asked, "ready for what?"

"I'm ready for you."

With that simple statement, he saw it dawn on her…the recognition clear in her sparkling eyes. Before she could speak up, he continued. "When I was walking around that bus today playing my guitar, it started as just messing around. Playing with the chords and seeing what sounded cool. Eventually, I realized that I wasn't just playing random chords…I was playing a song. I was playing "I Think About You"…I was playing our song, Ally. Once that realization hit me, all I could think about was you, and memories of you came back to me in waves: the first moment we met in Sonic Boom; the first song we wrote together; the first time we danced together; the first time we performed together; the first time we hugged; the first time I held your hand; the first time we kissed." He chanced a glance down to her mouth after that last one and thought he could still taste her cherry lip gloss. He wrung his hands in an attempt to reign in his nervous energy.

"As the memories flooded my mind, I realized that all of the most precious moments of my life are completely and totally wrapped up in you. When I'm not with you, nothing good feels _as_ good. You make everything better. You make me better.

"And before you say anything, I know that when we tried this before, it didn't work. I mean, with Elliot and Kira in the picture, it was already complicated before it even officially began. Once it did begin, things weren't much better. And, I think at the time, you were right…we weren't ready. But, in that rest stop parking lot outside the tour bus today, I realized, in no uncertain terms, that I want all of your firsts to be with me, Ally. You were what I forgot. So, I'm ready."

There was so much more he could say to convince her but, as it was, he already felt like he was rambling. It wasn't like him to word vomit. In fact, that was much more Ally's style. Ultimately, he said what he needed to say, and now the ball was in her court.

**Reviews are appreciated! Thanks for reading!**


	2. Chapter 2

**Author's Note: Hi all! First of all, I want to say how overwhelmed I am at the positive response the first chapter of my story got. I was surprised anyone read it at all, so to have people favorite it, follow it, and post such kind reviews, really does my Auslly shipper heart good. I was so excited, in fact, that I worked on chapter 2 all weekend to get it to you ASAP. This chapter is quite a bit longer than the first...it kinda got away from me, but I couldn't figure out what to cut so I left it all in. It could have probably gone to a third chapter, but oh well. :0) **

**Anyway, this chapter is Ally's perspective, and a lot of this is flashback to her experience from the kick-off party through to when Austin finds her in the mall. I was trying something a little different, so I hope you all like it. **

**Disclaimer: I do not own Austin & Ally. No copyright infringement intended!**

"_So, I'm ready."_

Ally sat dumbfounded, trying to process Austin's proclamation, but that was impossible with the hopeful look in his eyes making everything a jumble in her head. All she knew for sure in that moment was that this was definitely not how she saw her day ending when she woke up that morning, especially after their conversation the night before…

* * *

_Austin is in the zone tonight_, she thought as he glided across the stage and made every female (and, she suspected, some of the males) at the tour kick-off party swoon. Normally, she would be right there with the crowd, front and center, clapping and singing along. Tonight, however, she wasn't really feeling in the party mood. Instead, Ally sat alone at a table to the left of the stage and watched Austin perform for probably the thousandth time since they'd become partners. She decided that she would never tire of watching him perform…his attitude on stage was infectious. But, even more than that, he had this way of connecting with the audience that made every performance feel personal…intimate…no matter how many people were in the crowd. It was for that and many other reasons that she knew, no matter what, Austin Moon was going places. Now, she just needed to figure out how to tell him that she wouldn't be going with him this time.

As she watched him come out to sing his encore, she considered how she could be honest with him about the reason she wasn't going with him if she couldn't even be honest with herself? It's true that she had her dad and Sonic Boom to consider. She knew that she could totally blame Lester and Austin would understand; but, she also knew that excuse wasn't the whole truth. And, as a stickler for the truth, Ally knew that a lie by omission was still a lie. She never wanted to lie to Austin. The last time she did was when they tried dating, and that didn't work out so well for either of them. So, the truth it was, no matter how painful.

She forced herself up from where she was sitting, but her nerves made her legs feel like overcooked linguini. She willed herself away from the table and toward the door that would take her backstage. She showed the mountainous security guard her VIP pass as she ducked under his arm to head to Austin's dressing room. When she arrived, she opened the door and walked into the small room, which smelled like chocolate chip pancakes. She heard Austin once joke about writing pancakes into his tour rider when he hit it big. She laughed heartily then, mostly at herself for actually thinking Austin was joking. Pancakes are no laughing matter to Austin Moon. She considered sitting down on the small loveseat at the corner of the room to wait for him, but pacing a hole in the carpet ended up being a better option.

Over the speaker system in Austin's dressing room, Ally could hear Austin wrapping up his show. "As always, you were a great crowd, Miami! I'll be all over the country this summer and I know it's going to be amazing, but there's no place like home. Thanks for coming out and I'll see you all again next time!" After the speaker switched off, Ally looked to the door, expecting Austin to come through at any minute. When he finally did, he was sweaty and his hair was sticking out in every direction and his shirt was ripped (no doubt by an overzealous fangirl), but he was also radiating pure joy out of every pore of his body.

When he saw her, he gave her one of the heart melting smiles she'd grown so accustomed to during their partnership, and she broke a little inside. "Oh! Hey Ally! What an awesome show, right?! I can't think of a better way to start this tour, can you? I can't believe it's already here!" he exclaimed, grabbing a cold bottle of water out of the mini-fridge.

She watched him twist off the cap and bring the bottle to his mouth, gulping down the contents as if he'd been stuck in the desert for days. She couldn't help but watch his Adam's apple bob up and down as he did so. She wasn't sure why. "Yeah, you were fantastic as always! I'm so excited for you…I know this tour is going to be life-changing for you!"

"Correction: this tour is going to be life-changing for _us_," he smirked, giving her a wink and sitting down at the vanity, facing the mirror.

"Right…us…," she managed weakly. As he toweled off after his performance, she thought about everything they managed to accomplish as an "us". In so many ways they were a perfect team. She grounded him and made him think, while he pushed her to be more fun and spontaneous. She hoped that without him there, she wouldn't backslide into the timid, insecure girl she was when they first met, but she feared it was a possibility. That, on top of the fact that since they agreed to be partners they had never gone more than a couple of days without seeing each other, scared the crap out of her. When she started to think about how much she'd miss him, it was all she could do to keep herself from crying.

With tears threatening, she made eye contact with him in the mirror and saw his facial expression darken. In a split-second, he was out of the chair, standing in front of her, rubbing the lengths of her arms up and down in an attempt to soothe her. "Ally, what's wrong? Are you getting nervous? I know you are over your stage fright, but playing in front of thousands of people every night can still be intimidating."

It never ceased to amaze her how wonderful and supportive he was. It made her feel even worse. She knew she had to get this over with. "N-no, it's not that…" she stammered, suddenly finding her feet very intriguing.

"Then, what is it?" He slouched down, trying to get her to make eye contact with him. When that didn't work, he reached out and took her chin between his thumb and forefinger and softly titled her head back. When her eyes still refused to meet his, he said, "Ally, please look at me." She closed her eyes, took a deep breath, and then opened them. She was immediately taken aback by the way he was looking at her. There was definitely concern evident in his expression, but there also seemed to be a fire behind his eyes…an intensity that she hadn't seen from him in a long time. Looking deep into his kind brown eyes, she noted that if they were still a couple, this would be a perfect prelude to a kiss. But, they weren't a couple anymore. So instead, she reached her arms up and around his neck, and pulled him down into a hug.

She let herself get lost in the embrace for a moment. She breathed him in. She tousled the hair on the back of his head. She felt the sinewy muscle across his shoulders contract as he tightened his arms around her waist. It always felt so good and safe to be enveloped in his arms, like he could protect her from everything. But that was part of the problem, wasn't it? If she was ever going to be a solo artist, she needed to do it on her own. She owed it to both of them. It was now or never. She turned her face into his neck and said, "Austin, I'm really sorry, but I can't go on tour with you."

* * *

As Ally left Austin and started the walk out to her car, she was fighting a battle with herself, and she was losing. In her mind, she knew that _not_ going with him this time was the right choice for her and for her future, and as she explained the reasons why, he seemed to understand. He was supportive of her, as he always was, but she could definitely see hurt brewing behind the brave face he put on for her.

Her internal struggle came from her stupid heart. She missed him before she even made it out of his dressing room. She smiled to herself dreamily as she thought about all of the times he'd come to her rescue since she'd known him. He was constantly putting his career, reputation, and sometimes health on the line just to help her. Only someone who really cared about her would do all of that. How would she survive the next three months without her partner? No, partner wasn't a strong enough word to describe their relationship anymore. Friend? Nope. Best friend? Closer, but not exactly.

She finally reached her car, and as she fished through the contents in her purse to find her keys, she realized for the first time how badly her hands were shaking. She pushed the unlock button on her key fob, quickly opened the door, and threw herself inside. She wrapped her hands around the steering wheel, willing them to stop shaking. That's when she felt the first hot tears slide down her cheeks. One glimpse of herself in the rearview mirror told her everything she needed to know. The sobbing began then, and it was no longer just her hands that were shaking.

It took her a while to regain her composure enough to make the drive home, but she finally did. She crept up the stairs to her bedroom, not wanting to wake up her dad. He would take one look at her and try to make her have one of his patented heart-to-hearts, and she really didn't think she could take it right now. Once she was safely in her room with the door shut and locked behind her, she slipped out of the dress she was wearing and walked over to her dresser. When she pulled open the drawer containing her pajamas, right on top of the pile was one of Austin's old t-shirts. He loaned it to her one afternoon after Dez's hijinks had ruined another of her outfits. "You can borrow this shirt," she recalled him saying, in his serious-but-not-serious tone, "but I definitely want it back. It has sentimental value." She pulled the shirt from the drawer and held the soft fabric to her face. She could tell that it had been worn and washed about a million times…that it had been seriously loved. He was never getting it back.

She threw on the shirt and climbed into her bed. As she reached over to turn off the light on her nightstand, she saw Austin's smiling face looking at her from a picture. With that image in her mind, she softly wept into her pillow, praying that her dad wouldn't hear.

* * *

When Ally awoke the next morning, the sun was streaming in through the windows and she had one blissful moment when she smiled and stretched and forgot. Then the moment was over. Mostly, she remembered crying. She felt like she wanted to start crying again, but didn't think her body could produce more tears in that moment if it wanted to.

She felt drained. Numb. She got up and took a shower, hoping it would wash away some of the lingering ache. It didn't work, but she got herself dressed and ready anyway, thinking that going on with her normal routine would distract her. She walked downstairs and her dad was nowhere to found, which was probably for the best. She left him a note on the kitchen table telling him that she was going out and she would be home later. She grabbed her purse and she headed out the front door.

Austin was leaving in a couple of hours, and she debated going over to his house to see him off. She decided against it. For one, after that goodbye last night, she didn't think she could handle another one. Secondly, she was sure she would hear from him in the next couple of days. She made him promise, and she believed he would keep that promise. She headed to Sonic Boom instead.

She walked in the front door and the place was jumping with customers. She walked behind the counter to relieve the cashier working there, and was glad to have something to keep her mind busy and off of the blonde boy that would soon be jumping on a bus for an adventure without her.

* * *

After a particularly crazy rush, Ally finally looked at the clock and saw the time: 3:26 p.m. Austin left over three hours ago. She felt those pesky tears pricking her eyes again, so she grabbed her book and raced upstairs. She didn't need all of her customers to see her emotional breakdown.

As soon as she was in the practice room—her sanctuary—she sank against the door, hugging her book tightly against her chest. She looked around the room and saw traces of Austin everywhere. She began crying again in earnest. "What is wrong with me?" she asked herself, aloud. "Trish went on a long summer vacation once and I didn't freak out like this, and Trish has been my best friend since…well, since forever! Why do I feel so different about Austin basically doing the same thing?" If one of the signs of insanity is talking to yourself, then she morbidly thought she was halfway there.

She wiped her tears away and pushed herself up off the ground. She walked with her book over to the piano. She sat down on the bench and placed her hands on the keys before she closed her eyes and started playing. As the music moved through her, she thought about Austin and all of the times he sat on the bench beside her. She recollected how he would playfully elbow her and make a funny face when she was being too serious, or he would suggest ways to loosen her up when she got blocked. She remembered his hand brushing up against hers when they would play together. Then, she remembered the time that they almost kissed on this bench, and the memory sent chills up her spine.

Before she knew it, the familiar notes of "You Can Come To Me" were dancing out of her fingers, and she smiled recalling the way he looked at her as he leaned into their first kiss after their performance at her mom's book release party…it was as if she were the only person on the planet. No one else had ever made Ally feel like that before: important, beautiful, cherished. She reveled in the feeling, which was still palpable for her all of these months later. She didn't think anyone else ever would or could make her feel that way—not like him.

And that was it. She abruptly stopped playing as she finally admitted the real truth of the matter to herself: "Austin isn't just my partner or friend or best friend. He's all of those things and more…he's my soulmate." The realization was like a weight lifted off of her shoulders…for about three seconds anyway until the next realization hit her. "And, he's gone."

Ally stood up from the piano then, picked up her book, and turned for the door. She wasn't sure what would happen next, but she was certain of one thing: without Austin, this was no longer her sanctuary. She exited the practice room, then Sonic Boom, and didn't look back.

* * *

She wandered around the mall for a while after, needing to be out in the fresh air. She found a bench out of the way where a street musician was playing really weird, cool versions of some of her favorite songs. She sat down, pulled out her book, and started writing. Of course, everything she wrote was about Austin. She reprimanded herself for not figuring out the whole soulmate thing _before_ he left. She wondered what he was doing, and if he was thinking about her. She worried about all of the screaming fangirls that would be following him around everywhere he went, probably shoving their hotel room keys into his pockets left and right. _Whores_, she thought silently.

She was scribbling away furiously in her book when the street musician finished a really amazing version of Nirvana's "Smells Like Teen Spirit," which she knew was a total rip-off of Tori Amos's version of the song, but was great nonetheless. She wanted to give the guy a tip, so she closed her book and looked up. She was in no way expecting to see Austin standing there, staring at her. "Austin?! What are you doing here? I thought you left for the tour hours ago," she said, trying to conceal her joy at seeing him with confusion. She even furrowed her brow for good measure. She hoped he bought it.

* * *

"So, I'm ready."

Austin concluded his speech, and Ally could tell he was a ball of nerves by the way he rambled on. She thought it was maybe the sweetest thing she ever heard, especially since word vomit was usually her thing. She could see the hope in his eyes, and her heart overflowed with affection for him. She stood up from the bench where they were sitting and turned to look down at him. Now it was his turn to be on the edge of his seat.

"Before I say anything, I just have one question to ask you," she stated, trying to put on as serious a face as possible.

"Of course. You can ask me anything, Ally. I hope I made that pretty clear," he said, nervously wiping his sweaty palms on his jeans and inching closer to her.

"Ok. Well, my question is, what took you so long?" He looked momentarily stunned by the question, but then he noticed the smile creeping on to her face. He couldn't help but reflect it as he leapt to his feet and scooped her up in his arms. He hugged her so tightly that she couldn't breathe, but she didn't mind. She didn't think a lack of oxygen was causing this dizzy feeling. She held him as closely as her small arms would allow and nuzzled her face into his neck, giving it a gentle kiss. She then pulled back slightly to look into his eyes. They paused there for a moment, just taking each other in. Ally saw Austin's eyes dart to her mouth, which made her smile even brighter. He ran his tongue across his own lips as she pulled his head down to meet hers. She was normally not one for PDA, but she would make an exception this time. As he deepened the kiss, she didn't think she had a choice in the matter anyway.

The pulled apart somewhat, but they weren't ready to let each other go entirely: Ally's arms were still around Austin's neck, and Austin's arms still encircled Ally's waist. "I can't believe you messed with me like that after I poured my heart and soul out to you," he teased, reaching up to brush a stray hair out of her face.

She stepped back, doing her best to look completely offended. "Are you kidding me? You totally had it coming after drawing out your story like that. I knew what you were trying to do, Austin Moon." She threw him a knowing look and he threw up his hands in surrender. She definitely had him there. He reached out and laced his fingers together with hers, loving how small her hand felt in his larger one. He never wanted to let it go again.

"So, now what?" he asked.

"I don't know," she said truthfully, "but why don't you start by telling me that Zalien brains story? It sounded interesting." She smiled up at him as he pulled her hand to his mouth to pepper her knuckles with kisses, not knowing where the road would take them, but knowing they would go down it together.

**That's all folks! So, what did you think? Reviews, as always, are appreciated! Thanks for reading!**


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